


Warmth

by DeeTheTeaDrinkingDragon



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Amaya loves her nephew and his strange cute elf girlfriend, Blanket cuddles, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, It's very soft guys, Light Angst, Rayllum, Sleepy Cuddles, janaya - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:35:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21759187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeeTheTeaDrinkingDragon/pseuds/DeeTheTeaDrinkingDragon
Summary: There was one undeniable fact about the Storm Spire. It was cold at night. Bitterly cold, even in the midst of summer. It wasn’t too bad once you were deep inside the carved structure, insulated away from the stinging winds and draft of the mountain, though it was still rather chilly at best, and it was not uncommon to find humans wandering the hallways with blankets draped around them like capes while they acclimatised to the cold, or huddled together for warmth.---A Oneshot in two parts, in which Callum helps Rayla grieve her parents, and Amaya finds something a little unexpected within the Storm Spire.
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 524





	Warmth

There was one undeniable fact about the Storm Spire. It was cold at night. Bitterly cold, even in the midst of summer. It wasn’t too bad once you were deep inside the carved structure, insulated away from the stinging winds and draft of the mountain, though it was still rather chilly at best, and it was not uncommon to find humans wandering the hallways with blankets draped around them like capes while they acclimatised to the cold, or huddled together for warmth.

Due to the nature of the inner chambers being the _least_ frigid place in the Spire, those taking refuge in the days after the battle had settled there. There were still plenty of humans and elves milling around, and so they had taken over a few odd rooms here and there to sleep in, one such room having had belonged to the previous Dragonguard.

Rayla didn’t sleep in that one. She daren’t go anywhere _near_ it. She clearly wasn’t ready for those emotions yet. Instead, she, Callum, Ezran, and about twenty other various soldiers, elven and human, had crammed into another empty room, (once, it seemed, used as some form of study) blankets and bedrolls lining the floor in such a manner it was hard at night not to accidentally step on anyone.

It was better like this, she thought. She didn’t have to think about the grief that panged in her heart when she remembered that her parents were dead, that she had once _wished_ death on them for something they had never done.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Except it wasn’t. And she was thinking of that right _now_ as she laid there that night, staring at the wall intensely, like if she wavered in her gaze, she would break. She could feel the tears stinging the corner of her eyes as she thought about them, her parents, their heroic last moments and how they had helped saved the world.

There was a shuffle behind her as her boyfriend stirred. It seemed Callum always _could_ tell when she was upset.

She felt his arm slip around her where she lay beside him, his body shifting to bring himself closer to her. His hand was searching for hers, fumbling in the dark and she let him take it, weaving their fingers together and squeezing his hand tight.

“Rayla…” He whispered, his voice breathy and laced with sleep. “What’s wrong…?”

“It’s fine.” She mumbled back, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice and failing. She heard him shift, pulling himself up slightly to rest his weight on his elbow. He was looking at her now, she could feel it, even with her eyes closed and she fought the urge to try and bury her face slightly more into her pillow.

“Rayla,” His voice was so soft and gentle now. So tender. “Whatever’s hurting you… we can talk about it. Let me help. Please.”

She caved, if only slightly. How could she not? Rayla exhaled slowly, eyes fluttering open. Then she turned to meet his gaze, warm and comforting even in the dark. “I’m just thinking. About stuff. It’s okay Callum you can go back to sleep.”

He didn’t move, his brow only twitching with more concern. “I don’t want to sleep until I know you’re okay.” 

Finally Rayla shifted, rolling onto her back. Callum’s face was pleading now. “Fine.” She murmured, rubbing at her face with the hope that perhaps Callum would think it was just to wipe the sleep from her eyes. “I’ve just been thinking about my parents again. It’s hard not to when their room is just down the hall from here.”

Sympathy found Callum’s eyes now. “Oh… Yeah.” He moved back to let Rayla sit up, the elf supporting herself back on her hands. He tentatively wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her to sit closer to him.

“I’m so glad they didn’t run. That they were heroes.” She whispered eventually, resting her head against his briefly. “But… It doesn’t hurt any less knowing that they’re… that they’re _gone_. Forever. I’m never going to see them again.”

Callum glanced down and Rayla realised too late that Callum knew the pain she was feeling. Her heart sank, but as she opened her mouth to apologise his eyes shot back up to hers and he tried for a comforting smile.

“They’re not… really gone. No one you love is ever _really_ gone. My step-dad used to say that when I was sad about my mom.” Rayla raised an eyebrow curiously at him as he continued. “When you love someone you carry them with you in your heart forever.”

A fondness crept into the tone of her voice. “That’s a little sappy, Callum.”

“Yeah but… it’s kinda true, right? I’m sure that wherever they are now, they’re watching over you, keeping you safe.” He pursed his lips or a moment. “Wow… I wonder what they’d think about you dating me. I hope they like me.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Hey, I promise I’ll look after your daughter if you promise not to disapprove of me too much when I meet you.” 

She stifled a laugh at that, covering her mouth with her hand to stop herself from guffawing in the otherwise quiet room.

Perhaps that was what he was after, a grin, a little laugh, because his eyes lit up when she did. “I mean,” He continued gentler now, bumping his forehead to her temple. “You know I’ll promise to look after you whether they like me or not right?”

“I know.” She smiled, leaning against him now, her head on his shoulder. Callum’s arms folded around her, warm, safe, and she melted quite happily into the hug, her own arms coming to rest around his shoulders.

She could have quite contently fallen asleep like that, she was sure, and yet her brain still plagued her with the thoughts of her parents’ sacrifice.

Callum had left out the details of just how the High Mage has killed her parents. Perhaps he wanted to spare her that pain. But now it was beginning to haunt her, manifesting into a fear, a doubt. Had they suffered? Or had Viren given them an honourable death? It was unlikely from what she knew of him. Callum had seen what had happened in the chamber of the King and Queen, their final battle. Her stomach churned. Just how much _had_ he seen? 

“Callum?”

“Hm?”

A lump formed in her throat now, the question stuck there unwavering, afraid to come out for fear of his answer. She pulled back just enough to look at him, and the second his eye met hers his expression changed, empathetic, compassionate again. He could read her in an instant, he always had been good at that.

“Did you… Did you see them…? W-When they…?” She trailed off, unable to bring herself to finish the sentence this time. Her eyes searched his, and he gave her a little gentle squeeze, a pain on his face like he wasn’t sure how to answer, if he wanted to at all.

“Do you… really want to know?”

Rayla pursed her lips eyes downcast. Her voice cracked. “I… don’t know.” The tears threatened to escape the corners of her eyes again. “I-I really don’t know, Callum.”

He shifted, slipping his arms more around her and he gently tugged her in towards him. She didn’t resist. Rayla let herself curl into him, burying her face in his shoulder as she trembled, her shoulders shaking as she choked on sobs. Callum’s hand rubbed slow, soothing circles against her back, his lips pressing a tender little kiss against the side of her head.

“It’s okay,” He whispered against her ear. “We can talk about it when you feel ready. Whenever that happens to be.”

She squeezed him tighter, her hands bunching up the fabric of his shirt as she nodded, just eternally thankful to have him there with her.

They stayed like that for a few minutes. It felt like a miracle her broken, muffled sobs and their mumbled conversations hadn’t wake up anyone else in the room. Rayla waited until she had a better control of her breathing before she spoke again, but her voice still cracked on her words.

“Was it quick at least?”

Callum’s silence was deafening, she could feel him tense slightly. Her heart cracked further, sinking into the depths of her stomach.

“I couldn’t… from where I was standing make out really what _exactly_ happened,” His words trembled slightly. “But I think it involved dark magic.” His voice went small, almost pained. “Whatever it was, there was a lot of… screaming. A-And then nothing. The next thing I knew they were just… gone. Like, _actually_ gone, they weren’t there anymore. I don’t know what he did to them. And after that the spell I did… it faded.” When she didn’t respond, Callum’s hand begun to instinctively rub her back again. “…Rayla? A-Are you okay?”

Rayla’s fingers curled against his back. “Monster.” The word dripped with spite and hatred. “That vile, _evil_ …” She gritted her teeth, jaw clenched tightly shut.

“Rayla… I’m so sorry.” She felt him rest his chin on her shoulder, tugging her closer. Something about the gesture eased some of the tension in her muscles. “But… If it helps at all… Viren is _gone_ now. He can’t hurt anyone ever again.” He reminded her softly. “You made sure of that.”

She was silent for a moment. His words gave her some minimal comfort. And yet something else plagued her heart. “But how many _more_ Virens are out there, Callum? How many more will we have to face to try and keep the peace?”

Callum’s face fell, and he grimaced, reflecting quietly before he spoke. “I don’t know. But… But whatever happens, we’ll face it together, right?”

Rayla nodded solemnly, and the boy caught her cheek with her fingers, tracing delicately along her jaw to tilt her chin more up. He wanted her to look at him. She did, meeting his eye, and he smiled warmly, that little smile of his that always filled her with the hope that better days were ahead of them.

“You are _so_ amazing.” He whispered adoringly. “I don’t think you realise just how strong you are.” He bumped his forehead to hers, his nose brushing hers. Her lips finally turned up and she smiled back. “I think they’d be proud of you.”

“I think yours would be too.”

His eyes glistened. He didn’t need to say anything else. She was content to just sit there with him, their arms around each other. She had hoped that perhaps now, she could drift off, the burden in her heart shared and lightened. She was calmer, but her brain still felt far from switching off.

“I still don’t think I can sleep.” She whispered.

Callum was quiet for a moment, letting his hand fall from her cheek and find hers instead, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Hey… do you want to just… go for a little walk around the spire then? Maybe it’ll clear our heads a bit.”

\---

Rayla wasn’t the only one unable to find sleep that night.

Footsteps echoed down one of the passages as someone wandered nonchalantly through them.

The spire was like a maze on the inside. Tunnels that twisted and turned every which way, and it was easy to end up in places you had never been before. That was what had happened one night with the human general, Amaya, as she paced down the hallways. Sleep came difficult to her sometimes, especially with fresh memories of battles still dancing through her brain. On nights like those, she would roam the halls, ‘patrolling’ she told herself, to calm down. There was no need to wake Gren. She wasn’t expecting to run into anyone. Just to be left alone in peace for a little while.

It helped that exploring the Spire offered her some level of amusement. Xadia was such a strange and wondrous place, and the residence of its Queen was no different. The night previous she had found herself wandering into a huge dining room carved of stone, chairs small and great, presumably to fit dragons and elves alike. It had been dusty, as though it had been centuries since its last use, perhaps long before the current king and queen had taken the spire.

Tonight, she found the hallway she had meandered down widening, walls becoming rockier, more natural as they went. There was no door at the end of this hall, instead a rocky archway leading into a huge chamber. Amaya gasped.

It was a garden. An indoor garden, full of lush orchard trees, berry bushes the likes of which she had never seen, and little fireflies flickering in the dark. The rocky walls were adorned with lightly glowing crystals, blues, greens, purples, lighting up the room in cool hues, little rays shimmering in the dusky night air. There was a draft too, and it wasn’t until she looked up she noticed the gaping hole in the ceiling revealing the night sky above. Moonlight shone down humbly through it, its light dancing on the treetop leaves.

It was beautiful here. Amaya stepped tentatively through it, fingers brushing over the strangely patterned bark of trees, the surprisingly velvet leaves of bushes, the cold night air invigorating her spirit. This was nice. She was sure her nephews would like it here, perhaps she would show them in the morning. She could already vividly imagine Ez playing a game of hide and seek with Bait and the baby dragon Zym. And the flora here was fascinating, surely Callum could fill pages of his sketchbook with it-

Amaya froze, her eyes catching on something between the trees. She wasn’t alone here.

She could just make out in the dark a figure slumped at the base of a tree, and at first her heart lurched. Were they hurt? What was someone else doing out this late at night? She jogged over and suddenly it wasn’t one person, it was two, two figures flopped… no, _cuddled_ together.

Callum and Rayla.

She slowed, curious, her panic fading when she saw their chests rising and falling rhythmically, slow and steady. They’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms, little brown feathers dotted around and over them. Callum had told her a few days ago that he could cast a spell that gave him wings- had he used them to keep the pair warm? If he had, the spell had long since worn off now it seemed, his arms bare exposing the painted runes on his skin.

The boy’s scarf was draped around both of their necks loosely, its ends twisted together. They were sharing it, whether the gesture was a sweet romantic one, to preserve heat, or perhaps a bit of both, Amaya didn’t know, but they were undeniably cold. She could see the goose-bumps dotted over both of their arms.

Well that wasn’t okay. She wasn’t about to let her dear nephew and the elf girl go cold. There were blankets to spare back in her sleeping quarters if she could get them there.

 _‘I should wake them,’_ she thought. _‘Before they end up catching colds.’_ But she couldn’t find the heart to. They both looked so peaceful, cuddled up together in the moonlight, smiles on their lips despite themselves.

Alright then, she decided. If she couldn’t bring them to the blankets, she’d bring the blankets back to them.

\---

There were plenty of spare blankets hanging around the sleeping quarters of the Dragonguard. One of the good things about having so many Sunfire elves around was that they seemed to radiate heat, not enough to be uncomfortable, but it always seems comfortingly less cold whenever they were nearby. As such, some of the soldiers were quite content sprawling out and sharing the body heat of anyone close by, sheets discarded about the floor.

Amaya got to work swiftly, stepping with surprising grace around the sleeping bodies littering the floor, sweeping up blankets, tugging them gently from under backs, legs, arms, until she had a whole bundle of them piled up to her nose.

And then she froze, an instinct within her, keen and alert. She could feel eyes on her. Someone was watching.

Amaya whirled around in an instant, almost forgetting that this was a time of peace now. That she didn’t need to fear attack. Or perhaps she did, perhaps it wasn’t meant to last, perhaps-

_Oh._

It was Janai who stood in the doorway, eyebrow raised and an entertained smile on her lips. It seemed she had been waiting for the General to notice her, leaning against the stone framework, her arms crossed. Amaya relaxed slowly with a small sigh, then noted how Janai glanced her up and down, trying to work out what was going on. When she caught her eye, she finally spoke, a smirk tugging at her lips.

“You’re up rather late.” Amaya threw a smile back and a roll of her eyes before scooping one last blanket up in her arms. She caught the glint of gold out of the corner of her eye as the Knight of Lux Aurea came closer. “What do you need all those for? Are you making a… what was it the young human prince called it…? _‘Blanket fort’_?”

Amaya shook her head amused now, then jerked her head towards the door in a gesture to follow her. She awkwardly manoeuvred around the sleeping soldiers now that it was harder to see them, at one point trailing the blanket over one elf’s nose and making him sneeze, before they made it back out to the hall.

“Where are we going?” Janai whispered after nudging Amaya in the arm. “Where are you taking me?” Of course, Amaya didn’t, _couldn’t_ answer. Her hands were full. She just smiled and gave a little playful shrug as she continued walking. Janai huffed but didn’t argue, shoulder brushing against the human’s every few steps.

When they finally got back to the garden, Janai fell behind a few steps, and Amaya turned to see the awe on the Knight’s face. Her own expression softened and she gave Janai a gentle nod when her eyes fell back down to the human.

“It’s beautiful.” Janai whispered. “I would have never expected to find such a place up here.”

 _‘My feelings exactly’_ Amaya thought, shrugging a shoulder in a gesture to have Janai continue to follow her.

“So what, are you setting up some sort of moonlit picnic for us?” Janai teased. Amaya shook her head. “Then why are we here?” Amaya finally stopped amidst the trees, Janai bumping into her shoulder.

There they were, just as Amaya had left them, still fast asleep under the tree.

“Is that… the young human prince? And his Moonshadow girlfriend?”

Amaya nodded with a fond smile, and finally turned properly to Janai. Without any hesitation she thumped the blankets against the elf’s chest plate and Janai staggered, her arms reaching up to receive them, fingers clasping the fabric tightly.

Amaya took one blanket back off the top, its tangled form almost threatening to topple the lot of them from Janai’s arms, then she snuck ever so gradually and gently closer to the resting couple. Janai followed slowly behind. She sighed softly, kneeling carefully by Rayla as she began to drape the blanket over the pair, tucking it carefully across their laps. The duo stirred a little in their sleep, only to tug each other a little closer and fidget to get more comfortable. Then their breathing evened out once more.

Janai bumped her arm against Amaya, before setting the pile down, taking one blanket and kneeling the other side of them, by her sleeping nephew. She watched as the Sunfire elf, with a surprising amount of tenderness, draped it over them, tucking it around their shoulders.

The pair continued to pile on the blankets over the couple as gently and carefully as they could, stealing little smiles as they did, until Amaya was content that they would be warm enough.

And then she noticed the young Moonshadow elf stir again.

“Hmm…?” Rayla inhaled deeply through her nose, her eyelids fluttering. Then they cracked open, dazed and still half asleep. Amaya froze, her hands hovering still over the young elf’s shoulders. Rayla’s eyes found her hands, bleary and confused, then slowly she turned her half-lidded eyes to the woman’s face. She stared at Amaya blankly, still half-asleep.

Then something rather unexpected happened.

Rayla smiled. She smiled so warmly and familiarly up at Amaya as though she had known her as a friend her whole life, her eyes glittering in the faint light. She looked so soft and gentle, not the cold, horrifying creature Amaya had once thought she was. 

There was something in that moment that surprised the General. A question formed in her mind. How could she have _ever_ thought of Moonshadow elves as bloodthirsty monsters? The girl went back to snuggling against Callum’s neck, her cold nose pressed against his warm skin and sighed peacefully, drifting off again. 

Janai smiled across at Amaya softly, gesturing with a little head tilt to Callum, whose lips were turned up gently in his own sleep. “They’re… rather cute, aren’t they?” She whispered. “It is a little… strange, I’ll admit. But seeing them fills me with a feeling of hope.”

Amaya nodded, the twitch of a smile on her own lips. Janai was right. It was somewhat of a miracle that the pair had found love in each other despite the hatred of their people. She had once thought that perhaps her nephew would one day end up with Viren’s daughter. He would never shut up about her since he first became smitten with the girl as a young child. So it was definitely a _surprise_ when Callum had explained to her that _Rayla_ was in fact his girlfriend. She still wasn’t sure what had happened with Claudia, it seemed to be a bit of a sore spot for the boy, but she was thankful that he had moved on and found someone who clearly loved and adored him as much as he loved her.

Callum had always had so much love to give in his heart. And Rayla looked at him like he put the stars in her night sky, and the joy in living. It had been a bit jarring at first to watch. But after everything she had been through, and after everything _they_ had been through, she couldn’t find it in her heart to disapprove.

Instead, she reached out, almost nervous, and awkwardly patted Rayla as gently as she could on top of the head, just between her horns. Then she let herself stand and took a few steps backwards. She watched Janai drape one last blanket over their legs for good measure, before she too stood, one blanket still rolled under her arm.

They stood watching for a moment, appreciating the very cosy little scene of the two smitten teenagers now snuggled together under a rather excessive amount of blankets. Then they turned to leave them in peace.

They wandered slowly away, just a few metres from the archway before Amaya caught Janai’s eye and the twitch of a smile caught on her lips. The elf stopped and Amaya slowed, curious.

“Oh would you look at that.” Janai gestured, almost theatrically with the blanket in her arms. Of course, Amaya didn’t catch the dramatics in her voice, but she could easily tell her tone by the face she was making. “We appear to have one blanket left! It would be a shame to let it go to waste.”

‘And what are you suggesting?’ She signed amused, in spite of knowing Janai couldn’t understand her.

Janai stepped closer, avoiding Amaya’s eye, and draped the blanket around her, and the human found a blush creep onto her cheeks as she did. Janai’s hands lingered a touch too long on Amaya’s shoulders, tracing against them before she pulled back.

“I um… Can’t let my favourite human go cold, I suppose.”

Amaya just stared at her in shock for a few seconds, hoping the heat in her cheeks wasn’t too obvious. Then, only half thinking, she reached out her arm, opening the blanket up to Janai. It was an awkward little request.

_‘We can share if you want.’_

Janai blinked back, surprised, but Amaya got a small level of satisfaction at the blush on the elf’s own cheeks now. “Oh… It’s alright I’m not cold I…” She trailed off when Amaya shook the blanket insistently.

Janai sighed, shaking her head and conceded stepping into the blanket’s warmth. Amaya smiled at her, then gave her a gentle tug to lead her back towards the archway and out of the garden.

The pair walked back towards their chamber feeling significantly warmer than they had felt before.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This took a lot longer than I expected because I've been pretty busy of late and a lot is going on.  
> I really enjoyed writing this, and Janaya are very sweet and fun to write too! I have had so many oneshot ideas since season 3 came out but gosh, I know a lot of you are probably wondering about The Midnight Compass. Don't worry! I need to write one more oneshot (For my Secret Santa!) And then I will get back to work updating the next chapter.  
> Until then, hope you're all having a lovely day! Leave a kudos and a comment if you enjoyed it, and I'll see you next time!  
> \- Dee <3


End file.
